"DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM!" came a lady's voice, tearing through the quiet morning like a sharpened blade. It was annoyingly shrill and imperious, vibrating with the arrogant confidence of someone who believed the world existed for her convenience.
"Ma'am, please, you need to go," came the calm reply from the young bodyguard standing before her.
He was one of the elite residential protection officers, and he was dressed in a tailored black tuxedo, a crisp white undershirt, polished obsidian shoes, and an earpiece tucked neatly behind his ear. His posture was straight and disciplined, the faint seriousness of military training lingering in his gaze.
But right now, Kelvin looked like a man regretting every career choice that had led him here, just because of this annoying lady.
"I can't let you in," he added, doing his absolute best to remain courteous despite the twitch forming at the corner of his jaw.
"You know, you are unbelievably rude!" the young lady replied, with a deep frown on her face and a sharp finger, tipped with long acrylic nails, pointed at him.
"I have been here for over thirty minutes, and you can't even call your boss out?! If you can't let me in, then call him!" Her voice rang high and coarse, laced with frustration and anger.
Kelvin exhaled through his nose, trying to remain professional.
"Ma'am, please. Around here, you can't just show up unannounced. You have to be a registered guest." His tone was gentle, but under it was a deep, simmering seethe. "And what's with the luggage?" he added, unable to help himself. "We weren't informed to welcome any visitor today."
The two had been stuck in this exhausting loop, with her yelling, him refusing, her pushing, and him blocking. He had repeated himself again and again, over and over, and yet she would not budge.
However, at this point, the door behind the man opened, and a curious Tony stepped out to see what the commotion was all about. When he saw the young lady, he was baffled.
She was dressed in a red gown that flared at the base like a modern Cinderella's gown. The gown's neckline formed an enticing, subtle cleavage. Like always, she looked stunning, and her golden yellow hair was tousled just like he remembered it. Those bright green eyes had never changed a bit. Her perfume drifted faintly in the air, warm, sugary, and dangerously familiar.
An evil smile curled across the lady's lips when she saw Tony, a surge of confidence warming her heart.
"Don't worry, dumbass," she said sweetly and confidently to the young guard. "I won't be so harsh when I'm firing your ass, and I will do you the honor of firing you myself."
The guard ignored her, but he was really worried, thinking that maybe he might have overstepped without really knowing who she was.
He turned to Tony with a mixed, awkward feeling. "Good day, sir," he greeted casually.
Tony smiled at him. "Good day, Kelvin," he snapped, almost arrogantly, though his focus was on the lady.
In a low tone, he said to Kelvin, "Don't you mind giving us some space?"
Kelvin frowned, more like an astounded frown. 'Since when did Tom ask so nicely?' he pondered. However, he nodded and walked into the house with thick steps.
"Oh my God, Tom!" the lady breathed out as she scurried toward Tony, her entire body relaxing as she rushed toward him with open arms.
"Ah… ah… ah… ah… ah," Tony snapped, stretching a hand toward her, a simple signal for her to stop. The lady paused, her face contorting into a sad, baffled expression.
"What the hell do you think you are doing here, Natty?" Tony queried in a hushed and harsh tone.
Natty stared at him, wild eyed, her mood spiraling down until it dragged on the floor. The tone Tom used on her, the disgusted expression on his face, and the way he avoided her like poison all rammed into her brain.
This wasn't the Tom she met last night. This wasn't the man who smiled at her, who whispered to her, who made her feel so alive.
Her heart plummeted.
'Did he really forget me?' she pondered, her mind ransacking itself for clues and answers. 'Did he… forget about last night… forget… holy shit… about my money.'
She blinked over and over as she stared at him, aghast and lost for words. However, she did her best and pulled herself together a bit.
"Tom," she coaxed, finding her best and most soothing voice. "I… it… it is me," she stuttered, her pulse spiking as she edged closer to him, her voice trembling. "It's me, Natty… ah… ah… last night… at the company… at the party… we… we…"
"Hey… hey!" Tony called out, cutting her off. This time, he stretched both hands toward her, gesturing strongly for her to stop. "Don't step any further toward me, bitch!"
Natty flinched hard, like he had slapped her.
"Fuck," he gasped as he rubbed his fingers through his hair, frustrated.
"Look, Natty, you are not welcomed here, and you never will be," he sighed, already sick of the situation. "And besides, what's with the luggage? How did you even find your way here? You can't just wake up, pack your things, and come here without notifying anyone," Tony blurted.
But everything he was now saying sounded like utter balderdash to her. Those first five words, "you are not welcomed here," made her head spin wildly, and then the latter four, "you never will be," seemed to do even more damage.
Her knees wobbled. Tears welled in her eyes and streamed down her face. As much as she tried to hold them back, the more they flowed. The mascara and eyeliner she had carefully applied melted under the tears. Black streaks spilled down her cheeks like ink, giving her the wild, tattered look of a grieving voodoo witch.
"I… I… I love you so much, Tom," she wept, sniffling wildly. "I felt a bond with you like I have never felt before… a… a… a trust!" She cried, shaking her head crazily. "Look, I… I… even made a mistake while sending you the seventy thusand dollars. I bankrupted myself instead!"